Bessent said other countries in Southeast Asia have agreed to buy another 19 million tonnes of US soybeans, but did not specify a timeframe for those purchases.

“So our great soybean farmers, who the Chinese used as political pawns — that’s off the table, and they should prosper in the years to come,” Bessent told Fox Business Network.

Soy bean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade were about 1% higher in early US trading on Thursday after Bessent’s interview with “Mornings with Maria”.

In 2024, the US exported nearly 27 million tonnes of soybeans to China.

Trump wrote in a social media post overnight following his meeting with Xi Jinping in South Korea that the Chinese leader had authorised China to begin the purchase of massive amounts of soybeans, sorghum and other farm products.

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins applauded Trump’s comments on soybeans and sorghum in a post on X.